Another great community program battling a number of serious problems at once is once again underway. Since October, the Warm Welcome Kitchen started serving hot free suppers twice a week.
“The program is going pretty good, we are serving about 50 people every night,” said the kitchen co-ordinator Christa Jorgensen.
It runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday suppers are served St. Giles Anglican Church, while Thursday gatherings take place at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Not only does the program help people to keep eating well, even when their budgets run short, it also allows people to come out and spend some time in a friendly and welcoming environment without putting an extra burden on their wallets.
“It’s really nice to see people come out and really utilize that program. Even if you are just tired staying at home by yourself and you want some interaction with the community, it’s a great thing to come and enjoy," said Jorgensen.
But it takes a community effort to keep programs like this running, so Warm Welcome Kitchen hopes to see more businesses, organizations and clubs come out and in one way or the other support the program.
“I would love to have more organizations come out. We had Lions Club come out, they bring money and they actually paid for the meal and they brought their volunteers, which was awesome," said Jorgensen.
Grade 5 students also ran a bake sale last year, raising over $400, which covered a fabulous supper with a desert and also allowed extra money for the future meals. They also volunteered their time serving the supper.
“Even if you are not paying for the meal, grab a group of people from your business and come on out and volunteer,” said Jorgensen.
This season started mid-fall and will continue providing the community with nice suppers and a good company until the end of winter.
Jorgensen noted that they’ve been seeing lots of new faces and lots of new families this season, which is always a good thing. But it also means that the program constantly needs support.
“We could always use more donations to help keep the program running. We are non-profit, we just run on donations. And volunteers would always be welcome,” said Jorgensen.
Donations, be it cheques or food supplies, can be dropped off at the Salvation Army. Jorgenson also said that people can just come out for a meal and leave a donation with them at one of the churches.
People are welcome to come to have a meal, see what the program is about and then sign up if they decide so, or they can just call Jorgenson at 306-421-1543.
“I’d love to have more people to come out and volunteer because donations and volunteers are what really keeps the program going. And it’s really nice when you stop in and you see it or have a conversation with someone you normally haven’t had a conversation with,” said Jorgensen.
”It’s a great way to make community happen within our community.”
The supper menu often depends on what’s on sale those days, as the co-ordinator has to stay within the budget while at the same time feeding all people willing to utilize the program. Jorgenson always ensures that they serve good food, which resonates with most of their patrons.
“We did spaghetti last time, which was a big hit with all the kids who were there and even the adults. We do pork tenderloins, I’ve done soup, we did burgers,” said Jorgenson.
They also serve coffee, tea, water and juice with all meals.
Jorgenson said that in the past three years she ran out of food just once. They usually plan for 60 people to minimize food waste, as leftovers cannot be utilized under the food safety regulations they follow.
No registration is needed. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and people can just come in, take their drinks, pick a spot and wait for supper to be served by volunteers.
